Almost every Australian TVC producer has had the same conversation with a casting agent: "That's MEAA, but CGA says $1,500." Two acronyms, two documents, one booking — and they do different jobs. This guide untangles them and shows how a producer applies both at the same time.

MEAA is the union. CGA is the rate sheet.

MEAAstands for the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance — the performers' union. MEAA negotiates the MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024, which is the form-of-contract Australian TVC performers sign. It sets the principal performer base day rate, usage periods and rollover, the meal-break rule, and minimum turnaround between wrap and next-day call. It is the legal backbone of the deal.

CGA stands for Commercial Guideline Agreement. The latest version is dated 24 September 2024. CGA is not a union contract and it is not a statutory instrument. It is a recommended guideline that sits on top of MEAA TVC 2024 and publishes tier-level dollar figures the MEAA contract itself does not enumerate — notably the Featured Extra floor, Extra and Walk-On tiers, plus the 10-hour day and $150/hr flat overtime rule.

The MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 is the contract. The CGA 24 September 2024 is the rate sheet the industry uses on top of it.

What each document actually covers

The cleanest way to think about it: MEAA TVC 2024 tells you the rules; CGA 24 September 2024 tells you the dollars for the non-principal tiers.

MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024

  • Principal performer base day rate
  • Usage periods (media, territory, term) and usage rollover
  • The meal-break rule — break window from call, meal penalty if missed
  • Minimum turnaround between wrap and next-day call
  • Standard form deal terms for a principal booking
  • Featured Extra — adult floor of $1,500 per day
  • Extras and Walk-On tier dollars
  • 10-hour day + $150/hr flat overtime after the tenth hour
  • Tier definitions the MEAA contract does not itemise

Why both apply at once

In practice, a TVC booking is almost never under just one of them. A principal gets booked on the MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 at the MEAA base rate, and any Featured Extras, Extras or Walk-Ons on the same callsheet get booked at the CGA 24 September 2024 tier figure. If the day runs past ten hours, the CGA $150/hr flat overtime rule kicks in across the board. If the producer breaks the meal-break window, the MEAA meal penalty accrues.

Two documents, one shoot day, different line items on the same callsheet.

Is CGA legally enforceable?

CGA is a recommended guideline rather than a statutory instrument or a registered enterprise agreement. In strict legal terms, a producer who books outside CGA is not breaching an award. But casting agents generally hold producers to CGA — because the guideline is the industry reference and because most agency rosters simply will not release talent below the published tier floors. Trying to book a Featured Extra below the $1,500 CGA 24 September 2024 floor usually just means the casting agent will not submit the performer.

For this reason, Callsheet treats CGA figures as working floors, not upper bounds. If a brief carries unusual usage or buyout scope, the numbers go up, not down.

How Callsheet layers them

Callsheet's calculators apply both documents in the same quote. The performer calculator pulls the MEAA TVC 2024 principal base for a principal booking, or steps down to the CGA 24 September 2024 tier for Featured Extras, Extras and Walk-Ons, and cites the source cell for each figure. When the shoot day runs over, the overtime calculator applies the CGA 10-hour day and $150/hr flat overtime rule and flags meal-penalty exposure under the MEAA TVC 2024 meal-break rule. Both are available inside the full quote builder for callsheet-wide budgeting.

Producer checklist

  1. Identify the tier for every performer on the callsheet — principal, featured extra, extra or walk-on.
  2. Apply MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 for principal base pay, usage, meal-break rule and turnaround.
  3. Apply CGA 24 September 2024 for the non-principal tier dollars and the 10-hour day + $150/hr flat overtime rule.
  4. Add 12% Super Guarantee on top (it is not deducted from gross), workers comp, and any agency commission.
  5. Keep the source cell for every figure on the quote — MEAA TVC 2024 or CGA 24 September 2024 — so the casting agent can reconcile line-by-line.

For a deep dive on the union contract itself, see MEAA TVC Standard Contract 2024 explained. For the Featured Extra tier specifically and why the $1,500 CGA floor is the sticking point on so many briefs, see the $1,500 Featured Extra floor explained. When you are ready to price a booking, go straight to the performer calculator.